Why Randy Orton Has Been Off WWE TV Since WrestleMania 42

While Randy Orton ended up standing tall to close out WrestleMania 42 night one after punting Cody Rhodes, the 14-time world champion has been nowhere to be seen in the month since WWE's biggest weekend of the year.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, this is because of a "significant" back injury that Orton has been dealing with. Orton has since responded to the report, tweeting: "Lmao just milking it guys, leave me alone I'm trying to enjoy my summer before I come back and take that #15."

Orton previously missed 18 months out of action between May 2022 and November 2023 due to a serious back injury which resulted in him undergoing back fusion surgery. Orton was advised to retire from professional wrestling due to the severity of the injury, but he has continued to wrestle and has competed in 66 matches since returning at Survivor Series 2023.

Randy Orton went one-on-one with Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 42 night one. Original plans reportedly called for Orton to defeat Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship but those plans were changed, which also resulted in Pat McAfee leaving pro wrestling as part of the WrestleMania 42 match stipulation. Orton punted Cody following the match, which was done in order to continue the feud after WrestleMania, but Rhodes has transitioned to a programme with Gunther in Orton's absence.